COUNTY NEWS: Football fan rushes off to Russia for World Cup semi-final

A football fanatic spent more than £1,000 on a last-minute trip to Russia to watch England in the World Cup semi-final this week.

Before the tournament began, Stewart Ide said if England managed to reach the final four of the 2018 World Cup, he would go and watch the match live.

Stewart Ide. SUS-181007-164708001

True to his word, after England beat Sweden on Saturday (July 7) to book a semi-final spot, Stewart started looking at getting hold of a golden ticket to the game.

The Hastings man said: “Eleven hours on the computer and I finally bagged myself the golden ticket. I fly from Gatwick to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Minsk, then Minsk to Moscow.”

Stewart set off from Gatwick at 4am this morning (July 10) and is due to arrive in the Russian capital later this evening. He spent £363 on the match ticket, £639 on flights and £68 for a hostel.

He added: “I booked the flights first and then gambled on the ticket.

“I have never been so excited as I am now.”

The football fan, who has watched England at Wembley before but never followed the team abroad, managed to book some time off work last-minute, but said he’s not sure what will happen if England reach the final: